This study was aimed at clarifying the relative importance of symbolic-affective as opposed to instrumental-reasoned motives for car use. We examined which motivational dimensions are underlying the (un)attractiveness of car use, in order to distinguish a limited set of main motive categories. Three methods were developed, which differed in the extent to which the purpose of the task was apparent. The tasks were: (l) a similarity sorting of car-use episodes, (2) a Q-sorting following attractiveness of car-use episodes, and (3) a semantic-differential method for evaluating (un)attractive aspects of car use. The symbolic-affective motives for car use were better expressed when the aim of the research task was not too apparent. If the aim of the task was evident, respondents tended to evaluate car use in terms of instrumental-reasoned motives. Overall, the results indicate that both instrumental-reasoned and symbolic-affective functions of the motor car are significant dimensions underlying the attractiveness of car use. (Author/publisher).
Abstract